In the news

Summer will be here soon, and with it life-threatening heat

NPR

“There are factors that contribute to a house’s indoor temperature staying hot, according to Turek-Hankins, such as lack of up-to-date cooling technology. Additionally, the house’s envelope, which is the exterior shell of a building that separates the inside from the outside environment such as walls and the roof, can be heat retaining.”

Maria Avlonitis

‘Super Heat Trio’ examines the impacts of intense indoor heat

News@TheU

“‘Researchers have long been aware that residential heat risks are very closely intertwined with the risks of unaffordable energy. Yet, they’ve examined the two in isolation. Our work is among the first to take an in-depth, simultaneous look at both problems,’ said Lynée Turek-Hankins.”

Robert C. Jones

Federal program helps low-income Floridians keep power on. Trump laid off its staff

Miami Herald

“A recent study from the University of Miami surveyed dozens of residents of Miami-Dade County and found many low-income households are already struggling with high power bills, and they reported they give up food, medicine and doctor’s visits to ensure they can afford to keep the AC blowing.”

Alex Harris and Max Klaver

Staying cool in Miami: UM study looks at who is most at risk from dangerous heat

NPR

“‘It’s not necessarily just the case that it’s the classic, low-income renter,’ said Lynee Turek-Hankins, the study’s lead author. ‘It’s a more widespread issue than people realize.’”

Jenny Staletovich

On sweltering Miami summer days, it can be hotter inside homes than out, study finds

Miami Herald

“‘Everyone in Miami has AC,’ said Lynée Turek-Hankins, lead author of the study and a post-doctoral fellow at Dartmouth College. ‘The question is does it work and can you afford to use it?’”

Researchers measure the dangers of indoor heat

News@TheU

“The data produced by THREAD will add considerable traction to the conversations around heat that are taking place in the county, noted Turek-Hankins. ‘It’s not a cookie-cutter type of experience,’’ she said. ‘It’s a whole swath of different people who are experiencing different aspects of the problem.’”

Robert C. Jones

Miami is Used to Heat, but Not Like This

Inside Climate News

“Turek-Hankins was part of the Climate and Heat Health Task Force. ‘She really does care about people and making sure that their quality of life is improved’, she said of Miami’s CHO.”

Unprecedented heat extremes ‘could occur in any region globally’

Carbon Brief

[Turek-Hankins] “says this study ‘raises the stakes for proactive heat adaptation’, but adds that ‘addressing the factors that make someone more susceptible to heat-related health impacts—such as poor housing quality or social isolation—are worthwhile endeavours even without a heatwave.’”

Study aims to aid people in wheelchairs impacted by climate change

Newswise

“‘People with disabilities have historically experienced and are expected to continue to experience the first and worst impacts of climate change, so this collaboration allows me to develop deeper ties and a more targeted understanding of the adaptation needs and preferences of this community,’ [Turek-Hankins] said.”

University of Miami

Study aims to aid people in wheelchairs impacted by climate change

Miami New Times

“‘Indoor heat can be really dangerous,’ says Lynee Turek-Hankins, a Ph.D. student at UM’s Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy. ‘Research in other places has shown that indoor temperatures can often exceed outdoor temperatures.’”

Naomi Feinstein

Rising Temps Due to Climate Change Impact Maternal Health, Studies Show

NBC South Florida

“‘Most of us, when it’s hot, we just turn up the air conditioning and we’re good to go, but the reality is that is a fundamentally unequal way of responding to this hazard and that is because it is so tied to your socioeconomic ability to be able to pay for AC,’ said Lynee Turek-Hankins, a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami, who is researching what factors are leading to this issue.”

Amanda Plasencia

Geography, economic level affect adaptation to extreme heat

News@TheU

“Doctoral student Lynée Turek-Hankins is the lead author of a study that examines how different regions around the world respond and adapt to a warming climate.”

Robert C. Jones